Jefferson Palmer

News You Can Use: It's Bourbon Heritage Month

This is an ideal drink of a boozy Sunday brunch -- a little strong tea to help you wake up and some refreshment thrown in with your buzz.

A little history with your buzz...

Small batch bourbon technically began in the backwoods stills of 19th-century Kentucky, but in the commercialized sense, they started being sold more widely in the 1980s. One of our favorite small-batch bourbons we've been drinking lately is Jefferson's, bottled by the small company McLain & Kyne.

September is Bourbon Heritage Month, which gives us an excuse to wax nostalgic about the history of one of our favorite spirits. There are so many legends and yarns about bourbon's history that it's hard to know what to believe for sure. One thing that no one argues about is that it's one of the few spirits that can truly be traced to the United States in its origins. Bourbon as we know it today started being available in the late 1800s.

Hair-on-your-chest factor: 85/100

Jefferson's is fresh and smooth, really a quintessential Kentucky small batch. It's great for sipping, but we have been experimenting with bourbon cocktails in anticipation of fall, when we start to incorporate more bourbon into our cocktails as opposed to the real thirst-quenching gins and vodkas of summer. Jefferson's isn't so hot and strong in the finish so as to ruin the balance of a cocktail, but it's deeply flavored enough to hold its own.

This drink is a play on the country club standby, the Arnold Palmer (half lemonade and half iced tea — good clean fun). In this case, the lemonade element is represented by the use of limoncello (Pallini brand), which has a fullness and kick that really works here. This is an ideal drink of a boozy Sunday brunch — a little strong tea to help you wake up and some refreshment thrown in with your buzz.